This week's panel suggested by Howard Schiller with the less specific, yet no less accurate Eschel Hamel sharing in the limelight.


Well, Sky almost won...

I thought Sky's drinking on the car suggestion combined with Carol Pond's "Get a life" would've made a nice follow-up but it was edged out by the more faithfully direct choice above. Ah, well. I gotta stick to my principles. No nepotism, by golly. When that kid wins, she'll really win!

As always, suggestions are listed in the order they were received. Thanks for playing and please join us again next Sunday!

--Scott
Sunday 04/18/1999

Jeff Clear

    Let's start with the obvious...

  • Carl: "DRINKING!!!" surrrounded by a few friends (maybe a bikini clad Daisy? wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
  • Carl: "DRIVING!!!" in a racecar, maybe in a nice Speed Racer/anime style.
  • Carl at the golf course: "FORE!" The to himself:"Gotta work on my driving."
  • Since Cral is looking at the beer and holding his keys, he's obviously ready to shotgun the beer, so "Shotgun!" as beer is spraying all over his face.
  • A Carl angel on one shoulder "Driving" A Carl devil on the other "Drinking"
  • Carl- "I'll just drink while I give myself a haircut."
  • Carl at Daisy's door: "Maybe Daisy will help me decide."
  • Enter: Loki


James Riley

    I'm protesting this week. It's just not fair that neither Sky nor Winter has won yet. Therefore, my suggestion is to use one of each of theirs this week and the next. Besides, I'd love to see Winter's typing translated into visuals! Happy Birthday Sky!


Doug Waldron

    Hey, our first thought balloon. I was beginning to wonder if they were even allowed.

  • Carl throws keys over his shoulder: "Right, like that was a tough choice."
  • Carl throws beer can over his shoulder: "Right, like I'm gonna walk all the way to the zoo."
  • Carl can't decide and his head explodes. (I'm not sure what the next panel would be, but we'll figure something out.)
  • Carl in a convertible, the wind whipping through his hair: "Ah, the open road. Now, which way to the beach?" (We need a good shark or jellyfish attack.)
  • Carl at a dinner party, drunk, talking to an obviously offended woman: "Madam, you may be drunk, but I'm ugly and... waitaminnit... Dang!"

    How do you pronounce "preaka iontry?"


[The usual way. --Scott]

Lee K. Seitz

  • Carl guzzles beer thinking, "as if there was any doubt."
  • Same panel as previous one, but Carl is looking at keys thinking, "hmmmm...." [Who says we have to advance the story. 8)]
  • Carl driving car: "But where will I drive to?"
  • Same panel as previous one. Carl thinks, "What would Thor do?" [This is your own fault, Scott.]
  • Carl drinks beer, thinking "drink now; drive later."

    Do you want us to hit return when we reach the right margin of the suggestion boxes or just keep typing until we need a new paragraph?


[Either one seems to work okay. --Scott]

Drew Hart-Shea

  • Carl: "Like I'm gonna drink when I've got one of THESE babies to drive..." as he climbs into: a big army tank, or...a jumbo jet or...an X-wing star-fighter or...an Imperial TIE-fighter


Slurpee_E

  • Carl throws the keys over his shoulder and says, "Who am I kidding?".
  • Carl sits on the couch next to a pile of beer cans. He's talking on the phone: "Daisy, come over quick. I need help walking."
  • Carl is drinking in a taxicab. Thought bubble: "What a great compromise."
  • Carl in his car, drinking and driving. He says, "You can't stop me from living, ma!"


R David Francis

    And now, for something completely different:

  • Carl says, "What the heck! Neither!" and tosses both the beer can and the car keys over his shoulders.


Eschel Hamel

    This seems so pathetically obvious, but I'll give it a try

  • "Drinking it is!"` "I'll just let someone else drive..."
  • "Driving it is!" "I'll just drink when I get there..."


Josiah Rowe

    Happy Birthday, Sky! I really like Alicia's entry, and I see why you chose it, but it really does lean pretty heavily on panels which follow it. The obvious get-my-name-on-a-list-of-thousands choices are "Carl drinks" and "Carl drives"; the only real choice is which one will work better in the space ahead of it (one or two panels before the next choice?). Then there's the attempt to get something amusing or interesting, which almost certainly won't make it into the story, but might make someone smile when they read the suggestions. I'll try for a little bit of each:

  • Boring-and-obvious #1: Carl drinks. (Optional thought balloon: "I'll *drink!*")
  • Boring-and-obvious #2: Carl drives. (Optional thought balloon: "I'll *drive!*")
  • Boring-and-obvious #3: Carl, in driver's seat, chugging a beer. Thought balloon: "Ah, what the heck." (I'm assuming that Carl is intended for an all-ages audience, including Sky and Winter, so I won't suggest the original wording I had in mind.)
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #1: Carl, driving, thinks: "So where shall I go?"
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #2: Carl, driving, thinks: "I guess I'll go to Daisy's."
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #3: Carl, driving, thinks: "I guess I'll go to the video store."
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #4: Carl, driving, thinks: "I guess I'll go to -- BORNEO!"
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #5: Carl, driving, has a startled expression. He thinks, "What's THAT up ahead?"
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #6: Shot of the dashboard, from behind Carl's shoulder. The gas gauge is on "empty." Three choices here: a) Carl thinks, "I'd better get some gas." b) Carl thinks, "Oh, no! I'm out of gas!" (This one probably requires "shock lines" from the back of Carl's head.) c) Carl is oblivious, and thinks, "What a nice day for a drive."
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #7: Carl is about to get in his car. However, the car is already occupied by... a) Daisy b) the guy from the video store c) Scott McCloud d) Sky, Winter, and/or Ivy (let's get them into the story!) e) the Microsoft Monster f) an ALIEN! g) Abraham Lincoln! h) Thor! (just kidding) i) Janet Reno! (why not?) j) a Dalek from "Doctor Who" (for no particular reason) k) a carbon copy of Carl, perhaps having gotten lost from Section 1 or 2 l) Fone Bone! m) Julius Caesar! n) Mark Martin (returning the favor from his panel-a-day strip) o) Katchoo from "Strangers in Paradise" p) Neil Gaiman! q) Alan Moore! (These last two I suggest not only because they are the current Giants In The Field Of Comics, but because they're probably the two easiest comics professionals to portray both iconically and recognizably.) r) me! (not that you could possibly know what I look like, but I'm trying to see if I can get all the way through the alphabet here) s) Pogo! (Walt Kelly is God.) t) Yoda! (Let's get in on this Episode I hype.) u) Bill Clinton! (time for some political satire!) v) Akiko! (Great book, you should all be reading it.) w) Bill Gates! (boo, hiss) x) the Spanish Inquisition! (Bet you weren't expecting that!) y) Mickey Mouse ("because we like you...") z) Zot! or anybody else that strikes your fancy. Carl can either notice this person (if necessary, identifying them in a thought balloon or exclamation, e.g.: "It's MARK MARTIN! What is *he* doing in my car?!?", or with a general surprised reaction, with or without dialogue) or be oblivious, setting us up for the next panel.

    Oddly enough, I think this may be the longest entry the Choose-Your-Own-Carl page has ever had -- and I'm not done yet! Stay tuned for Variations-on-the-boring-theme, part II: the Drinking Variations!


[Sorry, Josiah, the honor of "longest post" still belongs to THE STORY OF MAC DATHó'S PIG from section 2! --Scott]

Charles Sumner

  • Carl walks under a big sign which reads "Octoberfest" and says, "Drinking it is!"
  • Carl, with keys in hand, boards the cockpit of the Bud Blimp and says, "Driving it is!"


Josiah Rowe

    I actually used *all* the suggestion boxes, so here's part II!

  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #8: Carl is walking into a generic BAR. He thinks, "I can always get someone else to drive me home!"
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #9: Carl is drinking at a bar. He says to the bartender: "My mother is always on my case about drinking and driving!" (Hmm... are his car keys on the bar?)
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #10: Caption: LATER. Carl is drunk. He says, "Now what was it I promished Mom?"
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #11: I think this was someone else's from an earlier suggestion page, but I like it (give credit to whoever it was, not me): GOD and THE DEVIL are looking down on Carl from above. We can see Carl drinking (or maybe drinking and driving). THE DEVIL says, "You owe me ten bucks!" GOD is reaching for his wallet.
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #12: Carl is walking and drinking. He passes a poster that says "Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Tonight". He thinks, "Hmmm..."
  • Variation-on-the-boring-theme #13: Caption: LATER. Carl is talking to Daisy: "So will you be my designated driver tonight?"
  • And now for a few non-boring suggestions, which almost certainly won't be chosen for the reasons I mentioned in my first submission: Caption: MEANWHILE... The "Promise me..." panel is being reenacted by two totally different characters, "Ed" and "Ed's Mom". Ed looks just like Carl, except he is blonde (or is African-American, or wears glasses, or something like that). Similarly, Ed's mom is a very slight variation on Carl's mom.
  • Carl's mother thinks, "I hope that Carl decided to keep his promise." She has a worried expression on her face.
  • Caption: "Little did Carl realize the deadly consequences of his choice!" There's a lot of room for variation of the picture to go with this: a) Carl drinking b) Carl driving c) Carl drinking and driving e) Carl waterskiing, or doing something else completely random f) Carl walking down a dark street... the shadow of an UNSEEN FIGURE follows him... g) A GIANT MONITOR shows Carl doing something from a)-f). A MYSTERIOUS FIGURE is silhouetted against the image on the screen... h) Nothing obviously related to Carl at all. For example, A MYSTERIOUS HAND reaches out of the shadows towards... what? Or else, i) A MAD SCIENTIST in his laboratory thinks, "Now all I need is a subject for my experiment! HA HA HA HA HA!!!" j) Carl, either drinking or driving, thinks, "Well, I guess it doesn't much matter either way."
  • Carl is on a psychiatrist's couch. He says, "I have such difficulty making decisions!"

    There! Two complete suggestion forms in one week! And it's only Monday! BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!


Barney Sheehan

    Hmmmm. Thats a really good opener. ( Although I really liked Winter's broom suggestion. )

  • Carl throws away the keys over his shoulder carl: O.K. drinking it is.
  • carl throws away the beer over his shoulder carl: O.K. Driving it is.
  • Carl tosses both the can and the keys away Carl:Maybe I'll stay home and surf the web instead. (which of course could lead to Carl joining in on his own fate at a later date!)
  • daisy takes the beer from Carl Daisy: I'll drink. You drive.
  • Daisy takes the keys from Carl Daisy: You drink. I'll drive.
  • Mom takes the beer from Carl. Mom: I'll drink this.
  • Carl throws the keys over his shoulder Carl: Maybe drinking and walking would be o.k.? ( or roller skating )

    A FAQ would be a great. I know I would like to know if the fourth Zot collection will find a publisher. There are probably a lot of people wondering about this stuff now that Kitchen Sink is no more (sigh).


MIchael Patrick

  • Carl picks drinking. He's lying slack on the couch with his big fat belly poking from under his shirt. Beer cans surround him on the floor and couch. Perhaps there is a knock at the door.
  • Carl's in his car, but it won't start. "Damn! And I promised Daisy I'd be there by six!"
  • Carl is in car slurping down beer after beer- "I'll just have to get good and sloshed before I start the car!" (13 words--too many?)


Travis Pelkie

    Happy birthday, Sky (age 6)!

  • Okay, it looks like a subtle hint to go with drinking on this track, so howzabout Carl's sitting around, boozin', listenin' to tunes? Preferably something like Zappa's "America Drinks and Goes Home"
  • Or else Gnatrat comes in

    That is the same Mark Martin who did Gnatrat, the hilarious mid-80's Batsman parody (which was probably more a Frank Miller parody), right? Oh no, weasels ripped Scott's flesh! And didn't anybody read Supreme before Alan Moore got his hands on it? (Oh yeah, they didn't) But if you're talking about the same Enter:Thor that I'm thinking of, then you're talking about Supreme #7, I believe. Image Comics, wow. (By the way, is Wildstorm gonna publish UC now, since Homage did Abe Lincoln, and if so are they doing the new book when it comes out?


[Yes my brain-devouring experience was indeed penned by the same Mark Martin who did Gnatrat, 20-Nude Dancers-20 and Montgomery Wart, not to mention my editor on Understanding Comics! Speaking of which Understanding Comics and it's Sequel Reinventing Comics are now with Paradox Press (a division of DC). My editor on Reinventing is Karen Berger.--Scott]

AL B Moore

  • Carl walks into a door with a sign saying "Fortune Teller" and says "Maybe I'll get someone to help me decide..."


Thom Marrion

  • Carl tosses the beer behind him and says "Driving it is!"
  • so then of course the panal heading off in the other direction would have Carl throwing the keys away and saying ,"Drinking it is!"
  • then again Carl could throw his arms up to heaven and cry out "The choice is too great, I can not decide!"
  • or Daisy could walk by and grab the beer saying "Is this for me?"
  • or the beer and keys could grow tiny arms and little faces as they scold Carl in some Alice in Wonderland type manner, "No drinking!" "No driving!"
  • but then you could also have a little devil Carl appear on one shoulder and say,"I vote drinking!" and on his other shoulder a little angel Carl would say,"Let's go driving instead."
  • of course it would be kind of amusing if Carl stuck the keys in his beer can and said, "I know, I'll drive my beer!"
  • but what if some powerful magnatic force started to lift Carl up by the beercan and car keys. Carl would say,"This can't be good."
  • then again a patriotic flag could appear in the background and Carl could stick out his cheast and proclaim, "This is America, I'll do both!"
  • or someone could shot a bullet through the ber can, as Carl crys,"Oh no, my beer!"


Mark Krukar

  • Carl thinks to himself, "Duh, that's a no-brainer. I call SHOTGUN!" as he drives his key into the bottom of the can.
  • An angel Carl and a devil Carl appear over each shoulder. The angel tells Carl, "Drink beer and stay home," while the devil urges Carl, "Drive to the store and buy more beer!"
  • Carl rolls a joint and thinks, "Maybe a little weed will help me decide."
  • Carl places the keys and the beer on a table and begins counting, "Eany, meany, miny, moe..."
  • Or he flips a coin thinking, "Heads beer, tails a nice drive in the country."

    OK, the real reason I entered was to ask if Zot! Book Four ever came out. Did it? If not, will it ever? See, I'm not even entering this contest for personal gain! Not that I don't want to win:-)


[Zot! Book Four hasn't come out yet. It may take a while to sort that one out after the demise of Kitchen Sink Press but we'll get in printed sooner or later. Those stories were among many people's favorites. Mine too. --Scott]

Anonymous

  • CARL: "On the other hand, I'm Thor."
  • CARL: "Whew, it was all a dream, except for the part about me being Thor."
  • CARL: "Help! I've burst into Thor!"


Cat Jan Roxxanne

  • Carl's driving with a thought: "Well, this way I avoid boredom... sorta..."
  • Carl gets drunk and plays Nintendo. "I guess I'll just sit here and play some video games..."
  • Carl is drunk and playing on a childhood swing set in his backyard, his mom observes him and says "Hmmph! Typical..."
  • Carl exclaims "I know! I'll drive THEN get drunk!"
  • Two words, man: Grandpa Carl...
  • Carl, in a fit of un-drunken rage, screams at the top of his lungs, "I can't decide!!! I love both more than everything on this PLANET!!!"


Erich Mees

    Well, this one seems pretty clear-cut, so I imagine there's going to be a lot of names winning this week. Me, I never miss a chance to pass up the obvious.

  • Carl throws away the beer can and says "Driving!"
  • Carl throws away the keys and says "Drinking!"
  • Carl throws away both the beer can and the car keys and declares: "There ARE no clear-cut choices in this world!"


adam ford

  • I like the simplicity of Alycia's submission, so I'm going to go with this: 1) Carl lying in the middle of a road, drunk as a skunk, saying "NOW how am I going to get home?" and that's it. bye


Kalev Tait

    Well, I think I will go with the two most obvious sugestions (though there are a few posiblities with each)

  • Driving! We see Carl in an incredibly snazed up sports car speeding down a race way.
  • Drinking! We see Carl surounded by huge piles of alcholic drinks which he is guzzling down. Off to one side there are a few emptys.
  • Driving! We see Carl in a huge monster truck, driving over a residential area (he's crushing the houses as he goes)
  • Driving! Carl is participating in a demolition derby.


Douglass Barre (Age 28)

    Hey, kudos to Alycia for a faboo suggestion that really put a smile on my face for its elegant simplicity. Especially considering the "Promise me" panel had really lost much of its charm the eighth time or so...
    Also, happy sixth to Sky! I remember fondly my sixth ("the Batman birthday") and hope she enjoys all the wonderful change that this particular year will bring.

  • We see CARL, still sitting in the car as the sun rises, holding the keys and the beer. CARL (thought balloon): "Man, this is harder than I thought."
  • CARL lifts up a can of gasoline and a cocktail glass. CARL: "Hey! The best of both worlds!"
  • CARL is sitting in one of those sit-in driving arcade games, drunk. An ARCADE PEON is dragging a large bag next to him. ARCADE PEON: "Your quarters, sir..."
  • (Hey, was that whole new Thor proscription there just to stop me from this? I'm so bad at taking a hint.) A meteor falls from the sky onto CARL's car, totalling it. GOD (o/s): "Oops!"
  • CARL is rollerblading while holding on to the back of someone else's car. In his other hand is a beer hanging off of that plastic six-pack holder thingie. (What the heck is that thing called, anyway?)
  • CARL is at a mall, holding a clipboard. Behind him is a poster that reads: "BEER vs. CAR" and under that, "The Eternal Question." He asks a passerby, "Can I ask you a quick question?"
  • We see a cutaway of CARL's skull. Inside his head, there's a LITTLE GUY asleep in a chair. ANOTHER LITTLE GUY is anxiously prodding him. ANOTHER LITTLE GUY: "Hey! Wake up! He's trying to think!"
  • CARL sits dejectedly, thinking, "No matter which one I choose, Neil Gaiman's going to make me want to kill myself..."


Alycia "CyberCat" Shedd

    Well, you asked for it: go here and observe my own humble attempts at sequential art. http://www.televar.com/~cybercat/lisa/

  • Carl walking down a street in the dead of night (past a cemetary, perhaps?) and chugging a beer, while tossing the keys over his shoulder.

    I'll be back later this week with some more inventive suggestions, I promise.


[Newcomers take note: Alycia is using her prerogative as last week's winner to link to her site, but remember, that's winner's only... 'cause we all know what would happen otherwise! --Scott]

dan wheeler

    happy birthday, sky! YAY!

  • carl at a driver's anonymous meeting. carl: hi, my name is carl. everyone: hi carl!
  • carl: aw to hell with it! i'm gonna read a book. carl heads into the bathroom with a well worn copy of our bodies, ourselves.
  • we5967hep9udandandananddan90//poopies!qwertontoast

    (needless to say dan typed that last suggestion himself)


Greg Lam

    You're the boss, but I still like my (and Rowan Lipkovits's) idea better. I do realize that it would have turned the whole rest of the exercise completely bizzare, though. Oh well.

  • The proverbial little angel of conscience (looking very much like Daisy) appears on Carl's left shoulder. "Do what _you_ know is right, Carl" Carl is surprised.
  • Enter: Thor! Enter: Thor! Enter [censored]


David Bedno

    The fact that the beer was Bud made my suggestions a lot easier to come up with. Thanks.

  • Carl throws the beer to the ground saying "Bud? Forget it, I'm driving."
  • As the car is driving away, you see a 6-pack being tossed out the window, as Carl thinks, "Time to get some *good* beer."
  • Carl's mom comes in from behind and takes the beer out of Carl's hand saying "It'll be driving."
  • Carl drinks the keys.
  • Carl is passed out on the front lawn, surround by empty beer cans. He's thinking "Ah...drinking."

Jay Sabicer

    Stoked to hear about the new book coming out next year. All I can say is Kitchen Sink didn't go under from your doing.

  • Call swallows the keys and straddles a huge bottle of Champagne (larger than a magnum) and hops around hobby-horse style. Caption: The stress finally gets to poor Carl...


Howard Schiller

  • Poof... The Carl Angel and Devil appear on his sholders.
  • Carls car pulling up to a bar... "How about I drive, then drink!"
  • "drinking it is!" as Carl throws his keys out the window.
  • Carl drinking his beer while on the phone... "Daisy can you pick me up?"
  • Carl swilling down some Tequilla... "If I'm going to drink, I might as well DRINK!"
  • Carl driving in his car... "God knows I don't want to die!" (oh the irony!)
  • Carl in fron of the TV... "Well lets see what's on Cable."


Ade

    Working as I do in an alcohol treatment agency ...

  • Carl asleep plainly drunk with an empty can tipped over by his side the car still parked in the background
  • as above but Carl is dreaming of driving the car
  • as above but Carl is asleep in the passenger seat and the can is driving


Morgan Doninger (Age 31 as of the 8th)

    Three comments - two boxes hmmmmm. 1. Thank you Colin for including me on the lovable loser list. 2. I feel Carl's love of hockey as well (Let's Go Devils!) 3. Happy Birthday Sky!

  • A visual: Close up of Carl's hands holding the "BUD". He pops it open with his car keys.


Tom Dougherty

    Hmm... nope. Don't have any.

  • "Mmmmm... BEER!!!"
  • "Mmmmm... DRIVING!!!"
  • Just to do something thats not AS obvious... "Mmmmm... WALK!!!"

    This was such a leading panel. I'll bet everyone wins.


Fungible Gnostic

    Hey Scott, longtime fan that just found your webpage. Really, really fun stuff! Hope you get back to Zot! soon; and relate the fate of Vic.

  • Carl walks down street; chugging one beer, other hand holding sixpack ring of beers.
  • Panel is of Carl's midsection, as if it is a continuation of the above panel; only he is dropping the beer with his right hand right bent, foot on a busted cask of liquor; caption: ANOTHER GLORIOUS VICTORY FOR THE TEMPERENCE LEAGUE!
  • Drunken Carl, with intoxication bubbles floating around his head, gets in brawl at bar.
  • Carl drives past police car, thinks, "good thing I didn't drink."


Zack Soto

    I'm not sure, but perhaps we should look to the great classics of literature for our inspiration. For example:

  • Carl's best friend Randy shows up: "Hey Carl, did you forget about our band's show in 10 minutes?"
  • Carl's guru appears in a trancendental fog: "Have you forgotten my teachings, boy?"
  • James Brown appears and says: "Good Lahwd! What'choo doin' with the Devil's tools, Carl?"
  • [two hours later] ten cases of empty beer cans are all around Carl, who lies face down in (a) a swimming pool (b) a pool of his own vomit (c) a pile of porno mags..
  • Carl: "Oh, I know! I'll pluck that chicken I've been saving for just this moment!"

    Oh, wait. None of those suggestions were based on classic literature.. Sorry.


willy inyang

  • beercan-"Drinking is fun!!" carkeys-"no, driving is better!!"
  • carl-- "Why is my life frought with so many decisions? If only I could live in a world where everything was simple and these imponderable decisions were made by an all powerful leader." the ghost of ronald reagan-"you called?" carl-"who are you?" the ghost of ronald reagan-"i'm the ghost of ronald reagan." carl-"but ronald reagan's not dead." tgorr-"i know, but sadly the dream of fascism in america is." carl-"fascism what's that?" tgorr-"it's a beautiful idea. it's better than sex. it's what's america's all about." carl-"sounds great!" tgorr-"beyond your wildest dreams." carl-"what can i do to promote fascism in my community?" tgorr-"it's easy. get good grades. stay in school. take your vitamins. say your prayers. beat up niggers and jews. and, of course, be good to your mother." carl-"that's all?" tgorr-"yup. and before you know you'll be president!" carl-"wow! i always wanted to be president." tgorr-"me too." carl-"but you were president." tgorr-"oh yeah, i forgot" carl-"ha ha ha ha ha" tgorr-"ha ha ha ha ha"

    funny stuff, huh? i'm a regular garrison keeler 'ferchristsake!!!!!!!!


d. Baird

    Given poor Carl's options, there can be only one choice:

  • Carl tosses the keys over his shoulder and knocks back the Bud


Matt Ryan

    Yaknow, when CYOC is complete, it could be made into a very interesting and challenging puzzle. Offer the empty grid with only the "Promise me" and "RIP" panels filled in, and a complete set of the remaining 98 panels, the challenge being to put them in place so all the threads make sense. (I may come with an actual suggestion later in the week... I just can't bear following a straight line like "Drinking or driving?" with another straight line...)


Jeff White

  • Carl takes a drive to the local mall.
  • Carl drives to a friend's house to drink.


Mike Taub

  • Tossing both the can and the keys behind him, Carl gets a manic cast to his eyes, and doffing a lab coat, shouts: "THE WORLD CAN BE SAVED BY STEAM!!!"


Joseph Prisco

  • Carl: Guess I'll drink.
  • Carl: Guess I'll drive.
  • Carl: GOD, I'M TIRED OF ALL THESE DECISIONS!
  • Carl: Guess I'll sleep on it.
  • Carl: I'll flip a coin!
  • Caption: Six Hours Later: Carl: Gee, the beer's warm now.
  • Carl: I'll have a beer and watch some TV.
  • Carl: [looking down] Maybe the next panel will tell me what to do.
  • Carl: [looking up and to the right] Boy, am I glad I didn't do that!
  • Carl: Hey! This can is empty!


frank episale

    happy birthday, sky!

  • carl amid cans and bottles, clearly trashed. carl's mom bursts into the room holding her detached right arm in her left hand "carl! you have to drive me to the hospital!" ; "but mom, you made me promise..."

    i know i should wait for the FAQ, but... any chance of ZotIV being published (I through III are feeling incomplete)


[See above. --Scott]

Drew Hart-Shea

  • caption reads: "later..." Carl is slouched in front of the TV snoring loudly, with a can of Bud in his hand. Around him are many scattered empty cans. the TV shows the titles of a show called "Enter: THOR!" (that last bit's optional if you REALLY don't want any Norse gods around)
  • Carl: "I think I'll have an evening at home..." Panel shows: Carl sat in front of a computer (I think it should be a Mac). He has a Bud in one hand and the mouse in the other. He is looking at a website called "Choose Your Own Scott"


Travis Pelkie

    Hope I'm not being obnoxious, this is my third time this week. Maybe my name will be in different colors!

  • Anyway, whatever Sky wants
  • Or, Carl's walking through the woods drinking, when he comes across a mysterious walking stick with Norse runes...
  • Or else Carl's got a beer and an art history book, upside down and is thinking "hmm, starting to make sense"

    Okay, mostly I wanted to inform CYOC fans of the Jack Cole Plastic Man article in the New Yorker. It's by Art Spiegelman, and the cover painting is by him too. His description of Woozy Winks' cheeks is priceless. Also, to help explain the above art history comment, I was wondering if anyone (Scott included) knows of any information about Renaissance Italy architecture and the decorations within (f'r instance, cycles of saints lives or of the Passion). I'm doing a paper on this and want to know if there's any info relating these narratives with comix art. I know about Marilyn Lavin, and David Kunzle as academic comix commentators relating the Renaissance and comix art, but if anyone knows anything else (books, journals, websites) that might be helpful, could you please e-mail any info to bg18629@binghamton.edu? I'll acknowledge your contribution in my paper and here at CYOC. Thanx for this forum, Scott, and I hope it doesn't violate any rules about the site.


colin roald

  • The ambiguous background in the previous panel turns out to be a bar. There are attractive women sitting to both sides of Carl. "Heck, DRINKING it is!" He tosses back the Bud.
  • Carl is out front of his house. A carload of his degenerate friends pulls up and yells, "Get in! We're going to the BORNEO!"
  • Wandering down the street chugging his Bud, Carl bumps heavily into a Mystery Woman, who drops a Strange Package. SFX: "PTOING."


Radames Cruz

  • Carl: "Drinking it is!" as he chugs like it's 1999 (hey, wait a minute...)
  • Carl: "Driving it is!" as he speeds like a demon down the highway.

    Ha! Now I can't loose! (Nor will the other 1000 people who will suggest the same thing...)


willy inyang

  • Help! I'm on fire!
  • Help! I've got male-pattern baldness!
  • I'm tired I think I'll just go to bed.
  • Drinking, dammit!! DRINKING!!!!! *chug chug chug*
  • If I get drunk and forget that I promised mom that I wouldn't drink and drive then I wouldn't really be breaking my promise cause I forgot.
  • I know! Drinking THEN driving!!
  • Maybe I'll just go dancing with Daisy, my sweetheart, my one true love.
  • Maybe I'll just donate my body to science.
  • Maybe I'll just murder my family.
  • Maybe I'll just get that lobotomy I've been saving up for.

    TRA LA LA


Carol Pond

    Hi, Scott. Actually, I liked Sky's suggestion to have Carl jumping over the car and seeing another world, but I did come up with one measly little suggestion. And here it is:

  • Mom says: "Geez, Carl, get a life!"


Bill Schlimme

  • Carl: "Drinking!"
  • Carl: "Driving!"
  • Carl, thoughtfully: "Or is there a third way?"

    How's that for covering the bases?


Dane Johnson

  • An elderly Carl sitting in a rocking chair talking to a young kid. Carl says, "And just then, before I could make my decision..."
  • A masked gunman sticks a gun in his back and says, "Give me those car keys -- AND that Beer!"
  • Carl looks straight at the reader and asks, "What would YOU do?"
  • Carl looks straight at the reader and says, "Gee, this seems so familiar..."
  • Caption: MEANWHILE... We see Daisy and *her* mom. Mom says, "Daisy, promise you won't hang out with that awful Carl!" Daisy replies, "I promise!"
  • A Grandfather clock chimes and Carl says, "Geez, I'm going to be late!" as he drops the beer.
  • Carl turns to his pal, "Hey, Jimmy, what should I do?"


Sky (age 6)

  • He decides to do both. He is thinking "But which am I going to do first."
  • Carl says, "I think I will..."
  • Carl says, "I will drink on my car."


Winter (age 3)

    Sky, Winter doing Carl suggestions.

  • Drink and drive Carl.
  • Who is the fairest of them all. Penny pen rrnt rnt

    Note: Winter told me to write "Penny pen", and then spelled it for me, hence the "rrnt rnt". -Ivy


Kean Soo

  • Carl drives through traffic at breakneck speed. Carl: Driving it is!


Mike Sharp

  • "On the other hand, maybe not"
  • Help! I've burst into flame.
  • Whew! It was all a dream
  • Enter: THOR
  • Enter: HULK HOGAN Drinking is bad kiddies!!!! So remember to brush your teeth and floss for the Hulkster.
  • Enter: JAY & SILENT BOB Jay offers Carl some weed instead of the booze. Bob says nothing.
  • Help! I've become a woman. (Carl is now wearing a dress)
  • "Aaah, neither. Instead i'll just stand in line for the new Star Wars movie. I'll only be 3875th in line"
  • Tacos are now 2 for 99 cents at your local Jack in the Box
  • Our Jumbo Jacks are 99 cents as well

    and don't forget to pass up on the chicken sandwiches for 99 cents


Souther

  • Carl tosses keys with one hand and takes a swig of beer from the other: "well...drinking's always fun!"
  • Enter: Donald Duck and a basket full of oranges.

    The End


Douglass Barre (Age 28)

    Well, gee, it's before 3pm... why not toss another one or two into the ring while I wait for Kay to wake up from her nap...

  • We see CARL insert the car keys into the beer can and turn them. SFX (from can): Vvvvrrrrmmmm, vvvrrrrmmmm...
  • CARL hoists the beer in a toast, tipping it to pour beer into his mouth. CARL: "Driving it is!"
  • CARL is flipping through a Logic 101 textbook. CARL (thought balloon): "Now, was that an inclusive-and or an exclusive-and?"


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